Easy Chicken And Rice Soup

I love creating cozy soups and stews more than almost any other type of recipe. This simple, old-fashioned chicken and rice soup is a personal favorite of mine, with all that comfort food flavor and down-home goodness I grew up enjoying during cold Minnesota winters. My family loves when I make it now and I appreciate that I don’t need to gather any specialty ingredients and can get a batch cooking quickly from things I typically have on hand. 

Recipe Highlights

Comforting and nutritious: I love that this soup provides 29 grams of protein in a modest 1 ½-cup serving. It feels like I’m getting a well-rounded meal that supplies so many of the nutrients I need from whole foods like chicken, veggies, and rice.

Budget friendly: This soup won’t break the meal planning budget since it calls for simple, easy-to-find ingredients and pantry staples like dry seasonings, rice, and broth.

Ready in less than 1 hour: I make this pot on the stovetop where it needs to simmer for just about 35 minutes of cook time. That means that I can be making it casually while I complete other kitchen tasks, like tidying up dishes and making some sides.

Naturally gluten free: For those who love comfort soups like chicken noodle soup, but want a gluten-free option, this soup is a great choice since rice is a naturally gluten free grain. This soup is also naturally dairy-free since it doesn’t call for any butter or cream.

Main Ingredients And Substitutions

This delicious soup recipe is a classic that I love to make every winter, but it’s also good just about any time of the year, especially when someone I love needs comfort from the inside out. Here are my notes about the main ingredients: 

• Chicken thighs – I use skinless boneless chicken thighs because they have slightly higher fat than boneless skinless chicken breasts, which makes them more flavorful and less likely to dry out in a soup recipe. Chopped chicken breasts can be used, as can pre-cooked chicken. If using raw chicken breast pieces, I suggest adding them after the soup has come to a near boil in Step 7 and just letting the pieces simmer for about 20 minutes in Step 8. If using pre-cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken, add it at the very end, after the rice is tender. Then heat the soup for just another minute or two, until the chicken is warm. 
• Chicken broth – store-bought low-sodium chicken stock is the main soup liquid. But if I have it on hand, I prefer to use homemade bone broth for even more depth of flavor that is so worth it, in my opinion. 
• Rice – I prefer long-grain white rice for this soup, but I’ve also made it with basmati rice and jasmine rice. I haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice, but it should work fine, though it will take a little longer for it to cook and get tender. 
• Seasonings – I call for dried herbs, including dried parsley, dried thyme, and dried sage. During one of my tests, I was out of those herbs, so I used poultry seasoning in place of the sage and I used herbes de Provence in place of the dried parsley and thyme, which tasted so good

Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Bring It Together In One Pot

What I love most about this chicken and rice soup recipe is that everything cooks in one pot, so I don’t need to dirty an additional skillet or bowl. Here are the basic steps: 

1. Saute the veggies: I start by sauteing the onion, carrots, and celery in hot oil in the Dutch oven until they start to get tender.  
2. Add the chicken: Then I add the chopped chicken thighs and garlic. I cook those until they’re just starting to brown, but aren’t cooked through at this point. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients: Next I add the uncooked rice, all of the dry spices, and the chicken broth. 
4. Let it simmer: I cover the pot and increase the heat so that everything gets hotter. I bring the liquid almost to a boil, but before it’s fully boiling, I reduce the heat to low and keep the soup at a low simmer for about 20 minutes, stopping when the rice is cooked. By avoiding a full boil, I’m able to ensure the rice is tender without the chicken overcooking or getting dry. 
5. Adjust the liquid: At this point, I add more broth, knowing that the soup will absorb more broth as it cools. But that’s an optional step. For those who prefer a thicker, less brothy soup, skip the additional broth. 
6. Garnish and serve: When the soup is still hot, I ladle it into bowls and garnish with whatever fresh herbs I have on hand, typically chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme. If I have a lemon on hand, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors just before serving. 

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.